Feng Shui Homework: 9 To-Do's for Your Home Office

Room & Board's Chilton table makes a great home office desk.

Who wouldn’t want to work from home? Ahhhh! Working from home can definitely have its advantages. You save time. You save money on commuting. You can manage your personal obligations in between breaks.

However, some people can’t seem to grasp the balance when working from home. They seem to get distracted very easily, not accomplishing much, or perhaps taking too many naps. Some tend to overeat, aimlessly surf the Web, and watch TV as opposed to the time clock. Before you decide to work from home, you must be really honest with yourself and ask a few important questions. 

• Is a home office the best environment for my personality?
• Will I be able to separate my work life and home life while in one space?
• Do I think I will eat more? drink more? waste more time?

From a feng shui perspective, a working-from-home environment can be a real challenge. If you can’t find a balance between work and your private life, it may cause you more stress than anything else.

Here are the top 9 suggestions to help you create a harmonious work-from-home-environment. And, these tips are 9 in number for a good reason. The number 9 is the number with the highest energy. Hopefully, these suggestions will give you a great jump start!

1. Pick a room or a space as separate as possible from your home life. For example, it is not advised to have your “office desk” in the same space as your living room or TV room. If you have a spare room, use it. If the only extra space you have to create a home office is in the basement, that’s not ideal, but it is doable. Just makes sure you have a lot of uprising energy represented, such as up-lighting, the color green, ventilation, and hopefully some natural light.
2. Make sure you do not put your desk in a vulnerable position. It should be facing the door but not directly in front of it.
3. Your chair should have support by having a solid wall behind it. A window behind the chair is not advised. If there are no other solutions, use heavy drapery to symbolically create that support.
4. Your chair should be comfortable for you. It should give your body good support. Consider one with a high back, armrests, wheels, and the ability to turn from side to side (so good "motion seating"). You don’t want to ever feel that you are "stuck" or rigid.West Elm's Swivel Leather Desk Chair meets all of our feng shui requirements.
5. Be mindful of what you see in front of you when sitting at your desk. Is it a window with a view of the outdoors? This may lead you to daydream and perhaps not focus on work. Is it a blank wall? This may cause you to feel blocked and perhaps curtail your ability to come up with new ideas. Instead, make sure that what is in front of you is inspirational and matches your goals and dreams.
6. Yes, you can have family photos in your home office, but just don’t overdo it. It may subconsciously confuse you and distract you from what needs to be accomplished.
7. Nowadays any office has computers and electronic devices. Make sure you have enough plants to help combat the negative electrical energy that is associated with these devises. Water lily and spider plants are highly recommended.
8. Keep track of your work hours, even if you don’t have to.  If you are in a position where you have to track your hours in order to bill a client, then this is quite easy for you. However, many entrepreneurs accumulate “work hours” working on their own stuff. It’s always important to "clock ourselves in and clock ourselves out." This way we can see how much time we are actually spending on work and on how much time we're really goofing off.
9. Remember to smile as often as possible while working ... even if you don’t want to. This may lead to the occasional unnecessary giggles or laughter. Since you are working from home, chances are that no one will see you, so you don’t have to explain this to anyone! It's always good to lighten your mood.

CB2 has a contemporary range of furniture for the home office.

Feng Shui Homework

Your homework for this month: work on getting your home work space separate from your personal home living space. It may not be easy, but at least start tackling it.

Until next month,

Franca

Franca is a Feng Shui Student Advisor and Instructor at Sheffield School; visit her website for more information. If you're interested in learning more about feng shui and interior design, then we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Being Creative Means You Can Create in Diverse Areas!

Mixtape Necklace © 2013 Ian Vandenberg Design

Our regular readers may have noticed that my posts lately have been a lot about creativity, and that's very exciting to me. Our courses at Sheffield School are all geared to creative professionals, and by that we mean anyone who would like to pursue a hobby or personal interest more seriously or possibly earn extra money through creative pursuits or open up a new business in a creative endeavor.
 

Arbor table © 2013 Ian Vandenberg Design

I recently ran into a young Toronto, Canada designer whose creations run into both jewelry design and furniture design. How exciting is that! Designer Ian Vandenberg wants to create more jewelry and more furniture in the coming year, and it's great that he doesn't feel the need to pigeon-hold his output into just one area. Here's how Ian sees his creative future shaping up.

Over the next few years I would like to continue to develop lasting relationships with retailers who appreciate good design and local manufacturing. 

Ian would like to have his own online store selling directly to consumers. Follow Ian and encourage a fellow creative professional! Right now, look for his work for sale at

•  Etsy and Ideacious

If you're interested in learning more about how to take your creative interests to the next level, we encourage you to explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Sculptural Furniture

Diamond Cabinet from Boca do Lobo

Ever yearn for furniture that’s shaped more creatively like your jewelry? Tired of those boxy plain furniture pieces?  If you’re nodding yes, then we have the furniture for you!  As interior designers, we’re always on the lookout for the unique, and this sculptural furniture definitely break out of their box and catches your eye!

Above is Boca do Lobo’s Baroque interpretation of that coveted gemstone, the diamond. Finished in a glossy amethyst varnish, the Diamond cabinet flaunts faceted doors and sides, ending in gold-leafed lion’s head feet.  Below is the Manuel cabinet, gilded in copper leaf and styled in an ombre finish. The Manuel’s cubist surface reflects a city skyline and sits on top of turned mahogany legs. 

Manuel cabinet from Boca do Lobo

Robert Kuo designs very sculptural and organic furniture pieces.  Below, we have his Root dining table and stools, reminiscent of large tree roots and trunks. The base for the pieces is hand hammered and the stools are lacquered in a gold finish. 

 Root Dining table, courtesy of Robert Kuo

Root stools and Tree Trunk Dining Table by Robert KuoAlso by Robert Kuo, these O Table and Bench remind me of gold link necklaces. Beautiful!

O tables, courtesy of Robert Kuo 

Interested in learning more about furniture? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.

Preview: Architectural Digest Home Design Show

Spring is definitely here when you see signs for the annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show.  Always held in March, the AD show heralds the latest trends in interior décor and home furnishings. 

New Yorkers fling off their winter blues and make the trek to the piers for the largest venue of furniture, lighting, and accessories. Besides home furnishings, Pier 94 will also exhibit DIFFA's Dining by Design event.  DIFFA or Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids shows off tabletop design & accessories and other display creativity from top event planners and interior designers.

If you're going to be in town from March 22nd to 24th, come drop by at the show. For ticket and venue information, go to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show site.

Dreaming of the Chaise

(Regency style recamier or chaise)Maybe it’s the wintry weather outside or the advent of the new year that lures me to lounge around and daydream of new projects, but I started to wish I had a real chaise to support my aching back.  The chaise or lounge chair is one of those furniture pieces that almost everyone wishes they had but never really have the room for.  The chaise is quite decadent, the form sinuous; forcing the occupant to lie back, relax, daydream, and basically ignore everyone else.

The chaise is such a favorite form that it shows up in famous artwork, such as the painting of Madame Recamier by French artist, Jacques Louis-David.  In fact, the poser and painting was so memorable, the chaise became forever known as the recamier in France and in design circles. The photo above shows a similar recamier, in the Regency style.

(Madame Recamier by Jacques Louis-David)I began to hunt around for the perfect chaise. If you want complete support and stability, we have the heavily cushioned and upholstered contemporary style such as the Fata chaise offered by ddc.  Those who prefer a more streamlined but still supportive chaise may choose the Starlet by Barbara Barry.  The clean, simple lines complement many contemporary living rooms and still offer thick cushions. 

(Fata chaise by ddc)

(Starlet chaise by Barbara Barry)For those who don't quite want an antique looking piece or a contemporary chaise, I found this wonderful transitional piece from Northwest Woodworkers' Gallery.  Made of cherry and leather, this chaise designed by Curtis Erpelding, reflects mid-century styling with the updated lines of a more contemporary look. 

(chaise, by Curtis Erpelding from Northwest Woodworkers' Gallery)A personal favorite of mine is the George Nelson Chaise Model 5490. Nelson designed a modern and ergonomic interpretation of the chaise. The seat follows the curvature of a person’s back and the delicate curvilinear legs mimic the cushion lines.

(Chaise lounge #5490 by George Nelson)Another modern style chaise – this one following a rectilinear form - is the Pierrot King Dormeuse designed by Glenn Thomas for ddc.  The Dormeuse recalls the International style chaise by Mies van der Rohe but with a back rest that can be raised up or down for added comfort. 

(Pierrot King Dormeuse from ddc)Whether you prefer the minimalist styling or the more upholstered traditional look, the chaise is both a visual showpiece for your home as well as the perfect place for relaxation and a little dreaming.

Interested in learning more about furniture? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.